Thank you for being here.
Before we begin I want you to know this.
There is no right way to grieve,
And there is nothing wrong with you.
For feeling the way you feel.
This meditation isn't going to fix your grief.
But it will help you learn how to stay with yourself kindly.
Just as you are.
And if at any point you feel overwhelmed.
You are more than welcome to open your eyes.
You can adjust your posture or you can just listen.
To my voice.
You can stop at any time.
But listening is enough.
So find a comfortable position.
You may sit or lie down.
Gently close your eyes.
Take a slow,
Deep breath in.
Slowly breathe out.
Bring your attention to the body.
Notice the weight of your body.
Being supported.
Contact points beneath you.
The steadiness of the ground or the surface holding you.
Notice the sounds around you.
Near sounds.
Fast sounds and maybe even the sound of my voice.
There's nothing you need to do right now and nowhere else you need to be.
Nothing to figure out.
It's just you and I.
You are allowed to be exactly as you are.
As you are.
In this moment.
And bring your attention to the very center of your chest.
Notice a natural movement.
Of the breath here.
Notice how your chest rises when you breathe in.
And notice how it falls when you exhale.
You don't have to.
Breathe in a special way,
Just breathe as you normally would.
At your natural rhythm.
And if you notice you're controlling the breath.
Just let it return to its own rhythm.
Breathing in.
Breathing out.
Keep noticing your chest.
Noticing how it moves with each in and out breath.
And your mind will wander.
That's normal.
That's what the mind does.
When you notice thoughts.
Memories.
Images or anything else.
Pulling you away.
That's okay,
Don't be hard on yourself.
Gently go back.
To the breath.
At the chest.
You can do this again and again,
There's no judgement.
It's all part of the process.
Grief often brings an urge.
To escape.
Distract.
Think our way.
Out of feeling.
This part of the practice.
Can I do something a little different?
If you notice restlessness.
Discomfort or an urge to pull away.
Just gently place a hand on your heart.
Silently say to yourself.
Stay.
Breathing in.
Stay.
Breathing out.
Stay.
All you're doing is staying present.
With what is already.
Whatever you're experiencing this moment.
It's okay.
Could be sadness,
Anger.
Numbness,
Tears,
Or maybe even nothing at all.
You don't need to understand your grief.
And you don't need to explain it.
You don't even need to make it smaller.
Just stay.
Be here.
And keep focusing on your breath.
Inhaling into your chest.
In and out.
And notice how grief shows up in your body today.
How this loss has affected you and your body.
Could be a heaviness in your chest.
A tight throat.
Could feel restless or tired.
Could just be pressure or like pain somewhere.
Whatever it is,
You don't need to change it.
Just let your attention flow.
Rest near these sensations.
You are hurting.
And that's okay.
Just sit next to them.
With them.
Like you're sitting beside a dear friend.
Who is hurting.
You may be having thoughts.
Thoughts about what happened,
About this person.
You may be thinking you should be over this by now or.
.
.
You shouldn't be feeling this way or.
.
.
Whatever it is.
Just recognize them as thoughts.
And then gently.
Go back to your breath.
Grief unfolds in its own time.
There are no shortcuts.
Keep focusing on your chest now.
Notice your chest rise and fall with each in and out breath.
Keep focusing on your breath.
Grief often pulls the mind into the past or even the imagined future.
You may notice your mind doing this,
And if you do.
.
.
Notice your mind replaying what happened or imagining what life will be like.
Gently come back to this moment.
When you breathe in,
Just say to yourself,
I am here.
When you breathe out,
Say to yourself.
.
.
I am now.
Keep doing this for the next minute.
Breathe in,
I am here.
I am now.
Keep you a few moments.
Breathe in,
I am here.
Breathe out.
I am now.
Fear your fate.
Notice your body.
Witness your breath.
Right now.
In this moment,
You are breathing.
You are supported.
You are here.
Yeah,
But it feels okay.
We will now offer a small amount of kindness to ourselves.
So just repeat silently at your own pace.
May I?
Gentle with myself.
May I be kind.
To this grief.
May I?
Be at peace.
Let the words wash through you.
Remember this isn't about feeling better,
It's about supporting yourself.
It's about offering friendship to yourself.
Now.
Come back to the simple rhythm of breathing.
The body resting.
The present moment.
Take a slightly fuller breath in.
And a slow breath out.
Begin to notice the space around you again.
Sounds.
Temperature.
The brain.
When you're ready,
You can.
.
.
Gently wiggle your fingers and toes.
And before you even open your eyes,
Take a moment to acknowledge yourself.
Give yourself some love for showing up.
Because showing up for grief takes courage.
And look,
You might carry this sense of gentleness with you as you move into the rest of your day.
And that's great.
The most important thing is you.
Be kind to yourself.
Be good to yourself,
Be patient with yourself.
It'll be okay.
You are supported.
And time will take its course.
Treat yourself to something today.
Do something nice for yourself.
Drink some water.
Go for a walk.
Watch your favorite show.
Have a chocolate.
And most importantly.
Reach out.
If you need support.
If you haven't done so yet,
When you're ready you can open your eyes.
And I want to wish you strength.
Lots of love.
From my heart to yours.
Thank you.
